Ngige acknowledged that comments he made in a birthday interview with Signature TV on August 8, 2025, were selectively altered to distort his viewpoint in a statement released by his Special Assistant, Hyggy Obialor.
He claimed that the controversial remark was: “I don’t want to be like Soludo, who our people mistakenly believe is against Peter Obi in everything he says.”
Ngige clarified that the phrase was misconstrued and did not imply animosity toward Governor Soludo. He recognized Soludo’s constitutionally guaranteed freedom to think and speak for himself.
The former minister pointed out that Signature TV is currently trying to rectify the narrative and has since apologized for the deceptive edit.
Speaking to other general concerns brought up during the conversation, Ngige underlined his admiration for Mr. Peter Obi and Governor Soludo. He cited pervasive insecurity, institutional corruption, unpaid salaries, pensions, and gratuities as examples of the terrible situation that existed when he took office as governor of Anambra.
Ngige claimed that his administration emphasized paying entitlements by making them first-line charges, paid off wage and pension arrears left over from the Mbadinuju administration, and raised pensions by 142%.
Additionally, he emphasized that between 2004 and 2006, Anambra State won several national educational honors under his direction; he feels that these accomplishments set the groundwork for later administrations, including Mr. Obi’s.
Furthermore, he stated that Mr. Obi inherited N13.8 billion in state accounts, including N8.7 billion in the Infrastructure Account and N2.8 billion intended for education in the ASUBEB account.
On Governor Soludo’s administration, Ngige expressed great appreciation, calling him as a “distinguished son of Anambra” and a “diligent steward” of public resources. He recalled that on the second and third anniversaries of his administration, he had praised Soludo’s performance.
Ngige reaffirmed his support for the current Anambra State administration and said that Governor Soludo “has done very well” as the statement came to a close.
